Top 10 Female Video Game Characters

More often than not, female characters tend to be overrated in video games. This is not to say that the videogame world doesn't have its powerful female characters or the ones who stick in your mind as being valiant. Instead, it appears that in general they are referred to as "eye candy" and are never really given a second glance for what makes them an important character. With the ever-changing market shifting between genders, both male and female characters have to be represented equally. The following countdown includes some of the best female characters around. Maybe future game developers will take heed and deliver more memorable female characters who aren't stereotypical "eye candy." With the list below, I was avoiding the purely "eye candy" female characters, and decided instead to look at the depth of the characters out there.

Joanna took the world by surprise when she made her debut on the Nintendo 64. It had been a while since a female character had made it to the center of gaming, unless you count Lara Croft. She was a brass tacks kind of woman who did her missions no questions asked and looked very cool doing it. She was sleek and smooth all rolled into one and can run with any of the boys and show them up when it comes to military tactics. Of course, being a bounty hunter helps her along in the powerful woman department. You have to have a certain something extra in order to dish it out and receive it, and Joanna did it with style.

9. Claire Redfield (Resident Evil series)

What would you do if you had a relative who just vanished? You would go looking for them, right? Well, maybe Claire should have just waited on the phone call from her big brother before racing to Raccoon City to find him. As we all know, once she got there she had an entire city of brain starved zombies looking to eat her and her new friend Leon Kennedy. Much like her brother, she saw the situation before her and took matters into her own hands. After surviving the horrors of Raccoon City, she was not done. In fact, she continued to search for Chris until finally finding him. At every turn, she stood looking the hungry abominations in the face, and calmly and coolly with her shotgun.

8. Jade (Beyond Good and Evil)

Power to the press! That was the message I received from one of the strongest willed female characters I have ever enjoyed playing as. Yeah, having Jade take pictures of animals seemed to be a little ho-humish, but it added that sense of pride that most journalists seem to have. While those animal pictures were used as a source of currency, it was the other pictures we could take that filled us with a deep seeded adoration of delivering the truth to the people. Jade reminded me of some of the strong female reporters who have been present in literature throughout the years, yet she had her own style that refused to be compared to anyone else.

7. Aya Brea (Parasite Eve series)

Imagine a night out on the town. You are going to the opera to see a new show everyone seems to be raving about. Then, in the climax of the opera, people start combusting and the entire hall becomes a blaze of flames. What would you do? Maybe run out with the rest of the crowd. Not this tough New York Cop. Aya races to the stage to confront the woman on stage to question her as to what has happened, yet discovers this woman is crazy as she attacks her. After the initial attack, Aya spends the rest of the game trying to figure out her past and how to put an end to the horrid creatures that are plaguing the city. She does it all with a coolness that not even Jack Frost could rival.

6. Yuna (Final Fantasy X)

The authenticity of a character is important above anything else, and Yuna carried her authenticity throughout two games, a feat that is almost unheard of in any videogame character. Now, I will admit that in Final Fantasy X she had her moments of doubt and insecurity. However, these humanistic flaws brought her into a sharper realization of a great character all the way around. With her own title to lead, she held on tight to the qualities she had in X, but broadened to show growth and perseverance throughout the sequel while she searched for that love she feared she had lost. It was her realism that enabled her to not only save her world once, but twice. That is one quality that should be present in every character: the willingness to save everyone and put your goals aside to do it. Yuna did this and more.